Onwards Till Dawn
by XxZuiliu
Summary: When she wakes up to achingly familiar surroundings, a phantom pain throbbing in her chest and a migraine pounding at her skull, the only thing she can think of is 'Not again.' Because this isn't just some game or some joke anymore -this is reality. ReincarnationOC [Collaboration with XxZuiyun]
1. 01: 1

_Ashes._

_Still warm, slightly smoking, thin tendrils of gray curling into the air. Small flickers of red flames that haven't quite died out yet. Approximately three feet away, a jagged piece of wood sticking out of the ground -five grooves across, three splinters peeling on the left and a crooked slash on the right. Courtesy of a nice set of metal gauntlets, no doubt. A few embers glowed brightly between the cracks, burning and not-quite-burning all at once._

_Inhale, exhale. _

_Sulfur and carbon monoxide and god-knows-what-else mixed together in the toxic air._

_The familiar scene of destruction is sickening -how many times has it been already? How many times of waking up to these exact same ruins, each time hoping it to be the last?_

_And how many times waking up to it _again?

_It was always the same goddamned outcome. _

_Every. _

_Single. _

_Time._

…

_I cracked open an eye as __a breeze brushed past, scattering a thousand and a million red sparks into the evening's blood-streaked sky._

_It... hurts._

_I'm not just referring to the physical pain here -it's not just the feeling of having splintered wood imbedded so deeply in your back that it always aches when it rains, not just the feeling of glass shards biting into and permanently scarring your arms or that heavy framework of what used to be a set of sliding doors crushing your leg. There's also that ghostly echo of a clawed hand digging into your chest, ripping through flesh and bone alike with evident ease, reaching in and closing around your heart and _squeezing_-_

_I sucked in a sharp, shuddering breath._

_Breathe._

_Inhale, exhale._

… _It hurts._

_A lot._

_And the pain isn't all from that fatal wound, either. _

_It's the _memories _-memories of friends and comrades and __family__ that you failed to save despite _knowing_ the trials to come. Knowing, but still helpless to save them from their doom._

_Again and again and _again_._

… _Oh gods, how __long__ has it been since then? How long has it been since that day I'd been thrown into this world -a world whose timeline I'd first learned through books and fast-moving keyframes- and _failing?_ Failing time and time again to __save__ them? Failing to save these people -people who I'd come to realize weren't mere objects, mere personalities, mere scripted __characters__; people who were real and who cared and were _family?_  
_

_(There's only so many times that you can live and laugh and fight with the same people before they begin to grow on you. There's only so many times that you can watch them die -again and again, right in front of your eyes, unable to do anything but look on helplessly- before you become determined to grow stronger in order to __save__ them, and suddenly it's not just because it's a mission that's been forced upon you anymore. It's because these people who care for you and help you are _family_.__)__  
_

_It hurts. _

_It hurts inside much more than it does on the outside, so much that it's almost… unbearable.__  
_

_But I'd promised to myself that I'd bear it. _

_I'd sworn to myself that I'd bear the pain -no matter how many times it occurred, no matter how many times they wouldn't __remember what we'd shared and I had to start from the beginning again__, no matter how many times I had to repeat this ungodly pain all over again- because I _had_ to save them. __  
_

_Somehow._

_Someway.__  
_

… _Someday._

* * *

**Onwards Till Dawn**

_01: "Reset, Restart, Replay"_

* * *

[This is a collaboration project by XxZuiliu and XxZuiyun.]

* * *

Japan.

To be more precise, Namimori.

Part of me dreaded coming back to this place just as much as I looked forward to the moment. Namimori was where everything had truly started, after all. Of course, none of them would know, and none of them would ever see this town the way I did –I hated Namimori just as much as I loved it; and wasn't that a strange feeling to have about a place? Wasn't it such a strange feeling to feel for a place that brought back so many fond, nostalgic memories just as it did the bitter pain?

_Dilly-dally, shilly-shally._

… Maybe a small detour would be in order before I made my way to Tsuna's house? It'd been awhile since I last saw Namimori good and whole, anyways, and surely there was no harm in wandering around the neighborhood for a bit.

_Over there –that's the park. Lambo wanted some grape soda from that vending machine, and we all ended up getting some kind of beverage that day. Mukuro was pissed when Fran gave him a pineapple-flavored one. The we found out that the machine didn't have enough sodas to go around, and the scuffle that ensued became the stuff of legends in the Vongola rumor mill._

_There's that dress shop –I distinctly remember Kyoko and Haru dragging me along that one time when I'd been particularly depressed from another failure. That was the first time I'd seen them die before me, and that was when I truly realized the price of my failures. I'd only wore the dress once –the boys didn't seem to be able to reconcile the image of me in a girly dress with the image of me shouting down Squalo._

_And there, that's the barbeque place. Of course the food there doesn't match up to the sushi that Takeshi's dad makes, but Tsuna had suggested we eat barbeque that time, and Gokudera threatened to blow up anyone who didn't agree. Lambo had disagreed anyways, wanting to go to the candy store down the street –then Ryohei saw a pair of boxing gloves on sale, and Chrome was running late, anyways– and we ended up eating instant ramen noodles again for lunch._

_The roof of Namimori's only aquarium. Nana had taken the kids out to play, and somehow the entire gang was tagging along… Mukuro decided to amuse himself by casting illusions on everyone and everything in the dark aquarium, and people were either scarred for life or discovered an inclination towards horror films. Kyoya thought it was too crowded, and went to the rooftop instead. I remembered going with him and trying to teach Hibird to sing a few lines from Phantom of the Opera, but the little bird only carried the tune of Namimori Middle's school song…_

_Ah. There's the school._

Unbidden, my feet came to a stop in front of Namimori Middle.

_The first time, I enrolled as a student here. Befriending Tsuna right away, right before all the madness started… helping him build confidence, being there in his life every step of the way, watching him gather his Guardians…_

A soft sigh escaped my lips.

Oh, what I wouldn't give to have those days back again. We were all so innocent back then… no.

That's not quite it, right? Now… they still are innocent, aren't they?

I'm the only one who's changed.

… It probably wasn't very healthy to get lost in memories like this, but… even if they no longer existed, even if the individuals I'd laughed and cried and fought and bled with were no longer here anymore… I didn't want to forget them. Any of them.

_A Tsuna who liked books and was smart, but was so shy to the point of blushing if anyone so much as stared at him for a second too long. A Tsuna who liked cooking and could make meals even better than Nana herself. A Tsuna who liked gardening, and had a green thumb that could make anything grow._

_There was also a Hayato who wasn't a brilliant pianist, but a violinist. A Hayato who liked reading cheesy romance novels, though he fervently denied any possession of such material. A Hayato who couldn't swim for his life, but dove into the lake without a second thought when Tsuna almost drowned on a Reborn-induced incident in a summer trip to the water's edge._

_I remember a Takeshi who chose soccer over baseball. A Takeshi who liked to fish on the weekends, a habit he never broke off until he was dragged into the 'mafia game' and spent every spare second training as much as he could. A Takeshi who hated milk, but would happily drink any combination of fruit juices. I think that Takeshi got along famously with Lambo._

_Lambo. A Lambo who liked cherries instead of grapes, and made a sport of spitting out the cherry pits at anyone who annoyed him –man, I lost track of how many times Reborn almost killed him just for that alone. And then there was a Lambo who liked drawing, who could throw poisoned markers with pinpoint accuracy. And also a Lambo who was scared of thunderstorms and cried much more easily, who was teased and bullied endlessly by a surprisingly aggressive I-pin._

_Ryohei. A Ryohei who practiced judo, not boxing. And then a Ryohei whose dream was to build the most extreme robot ever –now _that_ took some time to get used to. A Ryohei who liked collecting stamps, and gathered a gigantic collection with over 1000 stamps, each one holding a story of its own of how he'd acquired it._

_Mukuro, and Chrome. A Mukuro who liked classical music, and a Chrome who played the cello. A Mukuro who liked pineapples, and a Chrome who was fond of strawberries. A Mukuro who enjoyed watching the ocean tides, and a Chrome who wanted to run with the wind. Mukuro, and Chrome, who always ended up spending their lives together…_

_And Kyoya. Kyoya…_

My body moved on pure instinct.

Twisting to the side as I took a single step backwards, hand automatically rising to the sword at my hip- before letting it fall again, after my mind had finally processed just _who_ it was that had attacked me.

A familiar silver tonfa had shattered the ground where I stood less than a second ago.

"It's against Namimori's rules to trespass on school hours, herbivore."

Kyoya. Inexperienced, young, _alive._ Just as the others were.

_A Kyoya who liked drinking tea. A Kyoya who enjoyed napping under the afternoon sun. A Kyoya who liked to gaze at the wild clouds in the sky. A Kyoya who-_

… I'd lingered too long.

"Ah, sorry about that," I flashed a quick smile at the Disciplinary Head standing in front of me, inwardly berating myself. How could I have let myself get so distracted? "Um, I didn't mean to crowd here. I'll just get going now, ne?"

_A Kyoya lying on the ground, _defeated_, but still struggling to stand –even as the monster laughed, grinding its heel and crushing his throat._

The back of my neck prickled as I turned to leave.

Shifting to the side again, watching as the tonfa grazed the flaps of my jacket –I belatedly remembered a very important rule. No turning your back on Kyoya.

At least, not when it seems like he's in the mood for a fight.

Kyoya had liked fighting so much –correction, Kyoya _liked_ fighting, liked it so much that it was nigh impossible for him to _not_ seek out new opponents every day. Maybe it was in his blood? It wasn't just the thrill of battle that always had him seeking more of it –Kyoya liked _challenges._ He didn't just like fighting; he liked fighting _strong_ opponents.

… At the moment, I certainly qualified as a strong opponent.

Sadly.

"Violators of Namimori's rules will be bitten to death." A dangerous smirk curled on his lips and he darted forward, tonfas flashing.

Two steps back, I smoothly dodged the powerful swings. Lifting up a foot, let the sweep of his legs miss my ankle. Jump when he smashed the tonfas down, and twist when he aimed them at my torso.

Even at such a young age, Kyoya was much better than most hitmen –something I never failed to marvel at.

Duck under that blow, jump back. Spin, and let him hit that brick wall. Sorry, Mr. Wall.

_A Kyoya whose skull was crushed and his body mutilated, so much that it was only the presence of Hibird that allowed me to identify his body. _

Slide behind a lamppost, letting the tonfa crash against it instead.

_A Kyoya who was decapitated, his blood splattering everywhere. _

Slight stagger as I almost tripped, but I caught myself just in time to dodge another blow.

_A Kyoya who died as he had lived, fighting and taking down an entire legion of monsters with him._

"I don't suppose I could get back to you on this some other time?" I asked, doing my best to keep my tone light. A quick spin to the right, and a broken arm was successfully avoided.

Kyoya wasn't listening.

I truly did have far more pressing concerns at the moment. Like finding Reborn, and explaining to him what the hell a freelance assassin was doing in Namimori before he decided to shoot me in the back of the head. It wasn't a pleasant sensation, much as I understood his excessive paranoia in dealing with unknown elements, all part of his desire to keep his student safe.

"Hn." There was a gleam in Kyoya's eyes when I dodged another of his blows. Throughout the entire exchange, I'd only been dodging, moving just enough to let his attacks swing by harmlessly, but not making a single motion to draw the sword at my side. It was clear what he wanted me to do –adjusting his movements so that they were just a little stronger, a little faster, enough to pressure me into drawing my weapon-

I couldn't do it.

I'd never be able to raise my sword against any of them, not even in a friendly spar.

"Look, getting attacked for standing too long in front of a building is interesting and all-" I drawled, adding a trace of sarcasm into my words as I ducked again. "-but I really, really need to get going right now."

He's not _listening_.

_Kyoya, sometimes I really hate the fact that you're so _stubborn. _But… it's the one thing about you that never changes. I guess this is just part of who you are, huh?_

I dropped into a crouch, deliberately letting my hand grip the hilt of my sword, watching as his smirk widened in anticipation-

-and disappeared.

_Sorry, Kyoya, but I really don't feel like getting killed by Reborn again. I'm definitely going to find a way to get through this mess one way or another; a future that won't result in our deaths._

_That's a promise._

* * *

"… _Ne, Tsubaki?"_

"_Hm?"_

"_I know it sounds kinda weird, but… y'know, I always thought you looked kinda familiar from the first moment I saw you. It's not really Hyper Intuition or anything, but… sometimes, I can't help but wonder. Did I use to know you from somewhere else? Y'know, before Reborn came to Namimori and all?"_

_A small, sheepish laugh from the brunet whose heart was wider than the sky._

_I couldn't tell him._

"… _No. Stop imagining things, Tsuna. Although, if you wanted to profess your undying love for me, Kyoko will be very disappointed…"_

"_Ack! N-no, no! That's not what I meant! Tsubaki, what are you –Tsubaki! S-stop laughing at me!"_

…

"_Tsubaki?"_

…

"_E-eh? Tsubaki, did I say something wrong? Why are you crying?"_

…

"… _Tsubaki?"_

…

* * *

Deep breaths.

In, out.

It's not the first time doing this –but that doesn't make it hurt any less.

Looking up from where I was staring longingly at the cup of green tea, I forced a smile onto my face and bowed. The position was held long enough so that it was enough to signify proper deference and respect, but not so long as to show subservience –much as I considered myself a part of his Family already.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Vongola Decimo."

"Hiiie!" I sneaked a glance at him. _Tsuna. _There was a small blush on his cheeks –flustered embarrassment, nervous panic. This was a Tsuna who hadn't learned to be a Boss yet. "W- who are you? What in the world's going on?"

To his right, Hayato was frowning, pushing Tsuna behind him and immediately whipping out several sticks of dynamite, which he brandished at me.

"Stand back, Juudaime! She's an assassin!"

"_Hiiie!?"_

"An assassin who was let in through the front doors by Reborn," I tried not to let any of the fondness show in my smile –Hayato had always been protective of Tsuna; a trait that never, ever changed. "Gokudera, relax. I'm not here to kill anyone. Yet."

Probably shouldn't have amended that last sentence, but hey –it was the truth, and even though it was akin to twisting knives in my heart, it wouldn't do to act too familiar with them yet. For the sake of appearances, and for appeasing a certain hitman's suspicions.

"Stand down, Gokudera." I blinked in surprise, turning to look at Reborn. Speak of the devil. The baby-who-wasn't-really-a-baby took a sip of coffee from his cup before continuing, "I'm the one who called her here."

Now _that_ was a blatant lie. It was a testament to my self-control that I didn't react to his claim –not that I called him out on it, though.

On the other hand, I watched as the silver-haired bomber's jaw dropped. "She's an _assassin!"_

"So are you."

Hayato's mouth snapped shut with an audible click at that deadpan, and Takeshi laughed.

"Nice to meet you!" He smiled cheerily at me, "Are you part of the mafia game, too?"

Mafia game. Two innocuous little words, and I couldn't decide if I wanted to laugh or cry. Because this was so _Takeshi_, and-

Control.

Control yourself.

I settled on neither reaction.

"Yeah, I guess I am." I returned the easygoing smile, watching from the corner of my eyes as Hayato sputtered indignantly ("Game? _Game? _C'mon, you're a professional assassin, for crying out loud!"). "It's what I'm here for, after all."

"Ahh." Takeshi grinned, ever-oblivious. For the moment, that is. "So are you joining Tsuna's team, too?"

And here was the crux of the question.

Reborn would've looked at my profile the moment I set foot in Namimori. All things, considered, I was damn _good_ at my 'other' job –living so many lives that were all heavily intertwined with the mafia, I couldn't _not_ be good at fighting and killing. Working as an assassin in the scant few years before Reborn was assigned to tutor Tsuna was good for sharpening my skills, and getting used to fighting in a younger body again.

I needed to be as strong as I could to face the trials ahead.

"Nah, I'm just chasing a hit." Relaxed poise, even tone. Don't give Reborn any reason to believe that you're lying. "One of my contacts told me he'd be in Namimori soon, so I'm going to wait and ambush him."

Here I heard another of Tsuna's horrified 'hiiie!'s in the background.

"Although, I didn't know that Namimori was Vongola territory." I remarked dryly after my pause, allowing the brunet the chance to scrape together his tattered dignity, "Anyways, I already hashed it out with Reborn earlier; one favor from me to the person in charge of this place, and I'm allowed to hunt here."

I paused for a moment, before directing my gaze from Takeshi to Tsuna.

_Tsuna._

"So, Sawada." My voice was hard, blunt. Everything it should be from a freelance assassin thrown into my position, and everything _but_ what I was truly feeling at the moment. "My name is Tsubaki. I'm here to let you know I owe you a favor, and you're free to collect on it anytime."

It wasn't completely a lie.

I _was_ on a mission –some information broker who pissed off the wrong Mafioso was planning to escape to Namimori sometime this month, and I was to bring in his head. Owing favors just to complete a mission, though? Any decent bounty hunter or assassin would call me crazy.

Favors weren't dealt out lightly in the mafia world.

I'd stressed to Reborn earlier this afternoon that it was only because I had a reputation to uphold –no matter what mission it is, rest assured that it will always, _always _be completed; and how was I to know that the Vongola Decimo was being trained here?. It might've been because I was as young as Tsuna that he felt the reason was plausible. I was still a child, young and impressionable; it made sense that I'd still hold some notion of honor. It probably helped that I was one of the more talented up-and-coming assassins of the next generation, too.

Having freelance assassins who couldn't be tracked to any Famiglia owe you a favor or two was never a bad thing, after all.

Downright useful in the right situations, really.

"… Well… that's it." I stood up from my seat at the table, tea untouched. Which was a shame –Nana made the best tea, but any assassin with the faintest shred of self-preservation would know better than to drink anything offered to them by someone they technically didn't trust. "Don't be surprised if you see me wandering around town."

Halfway across the living room, ignoring the eyes boring holes into my back and breathing an inward sigh of relief that I'd made it through without botching this up (those results were never pretty), Reborn's voice suddenly sounded again.

"A good Boss always sees his guests to the door, Dame-Tsuna."

So here we were, standing on the porch awkwardly. Tsuna's eyes kept darting to the ground, and Hayato was scowling at me. Takeshi still had a friendly grin on his face, though, so that had to count for something, right?

_Tsuna is scared of me. He's scared of the assassin that suddenly barged into his life, even if I told him that I owe him a favor. He doesn't have an understanding of how the mafia operates –and even without a favor, I'd _never_ hurt him._

_He doesn't know that, though._

_But that's okay. He doesn't need to. None of them need to, really._

_I just need to keep them safe. That's the only thing that matters._

* * *

.

…

.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Hi all.

So, a couple of points to hit.

First, I'm still not up for any heavy writing yet. I only have one week of break, and "Polaris" will be updated if I can spare the time to write like crazy on it, since most of my attention will be focused on this story right now. "Onwards Till Dawn" is a joint effort between me and my good friend, XxZuiyun, which means that there are **two authors **for this story. In other words: it's possible that we might argue over the direction of the story since we haven't agreed completely on the plotline yet, so there might be a few delays. Also, drafts will go back and forth between us before they're finally posted –don't be surprised if updates are late!

Second, in case it's not obvious yet: _**the OC in this story has been reborn multiple times into the KHR-verse**__._ So, OCTsubaki was given the task to save Tsuna & co. (details of which will be unveiled later on in the story) but she kept failing, and as a result was reincarnated repeatedly to fix things. She's stuck in a loop; until she "saves" Tsuna & co., she'll keep being reborn over and over again. Maybe she'll finally get lucky this time, yeah?

Third, we admit the influence of colbub's "My Heavenly Judgment." (Which I highly recommend to anyone looking for an SI OC fic to read in the KHR archives.) Other than the OC being reincarnated into KHR world after dying and given a mission to comlete, I can't think of any similarities there are between our stories off the top of my head –so things are going to be different for the most part. Probably. I'd have to read the story again to make sure, but I'm pretty sure we're not ripping off any original plot from "My Heavenly Judgment."

Fourth, this fic _will_ contain some dark elements. If you don't know what I'm talking about, feel free to refer to any of the other stories I've written for a general idea. The manga is mostly lighthearted and humorous, but it's the _mafia _–if you're looking for crack in this story, then look somewhere else. Consider yourselves warned.

Please remember to tell us what you think about this story! Constructive criticism is always appreciated and we will do our best to fix any errors that need fixing. Please don't hesitate to tell us what you see wrong and what improvements you think should be made to the writing.

**QUESTION:** What KHR character do you look forward most to seeing OCTsubaki interact with in the next chapter? Any reasons why?

Till next time,

XxZuiliu


	2. 01: 2

_Heaven is but a simple step away, child. Would you take that extra step to reach for eternal Paradise?_

* * *

Morning.

The streets were quiet –soft sun barely illuminating the gray streets, faint hints of rosy dawn dancing across the frozen sky. It was early, much too early for anyone to be up and about yet.

The wind was cold.

"_Let's go back to Namimori when this is all over and watch the sunrise together."_

It felt… wrong, being the only one standing here. Lambo was supposed to be riling up Hayato again, and Takeshi would be laughing at the two of them as he was inevitably pulled into their scuffle. Ryohei would shout 'Extreme!' when the weapons came out, and join the fray –Mukuro would chuckle and Chrome would look on apprehensively at the spectacle. Kyoya would probably give a disdainful sniff and wander off to find a quiet place to take a nap before we disturbed his peace any more than we already did, and Tsuna-

"Ciaossu."

It's dangerous.

These memories and ghosts that haunt my mind are already dangerous enough; let alone Reborn being suspicious of me and keeping an eye on my actions. Did he purposely wait until I was alone? The streets were deserted at the moment, so no one would notice if he decided to eliminate me here and now…

Had I misjudged his reaction to my appearance again?

"Good morning, Reborn." I casually tilted my head back, forcing myself to meet his gaze steadily. Hoping against hope that these simple movements wouldn't betray my thoughts. I was a liar, a damn good one –but if anyone could call me out on my act, it would be Reborn. It was only his close scrutiny in the first place that I'd been forced to learn. "Has Sawada decided to call in on my favor so soon?"

I blinked, and suddenly the hitman was sitting on my shoulder, Leon's shape flickering and morphing into a sleek black gun. Almost involuntarily, I felt my body tense –but he wasn't raising the gun to my head, only holding it loosely in his hands.

There was a small smirk on his face.

… What was he planning?

"Rokudo Mukuro is in town."

Mukuro.

He'd… he'd escaped from Vendicare already?

"_Kufufu. Your concern for me is touching, but don't think I'll die so easily. Chrome is ahead –run along and lend her a hand, will you? I'll catch up later."_

I was careful to keep my expression bland and uncaring at the sudden news as I turned to face the road again, willing my feet to continue moving onwards one step in front of another, strolling down the empty sidewalk as if there was nothing wrong.

"Rokudo Mukuro… wasn't he taken by the Vindice a couple years back after that killing spree of his?" My voice remained nonchalant, and I let a careless, musing quality entering my tone. "Why are you telling me this? I'm not a bounty hunter."

Assassins, and bounty hunters. One waited for job requests to come to them, while the other actively sought out blacklisted criminals. I didn't choose the path of a bounty hunter this time around –so why would Reborn feel the need to inform me of Mukuro's presence in Namimori?

"Who's your target?"

Ah, right. Reborn only knew that I was here to hunt someone down; someone who'd be coming to Namimori soon –Mukuro certainly fit the bill well enough.

"Del Moria," I revealed easily. "He's an accomplished saboteur and informant with an impressive collection of blackmail. Better known by his alias, Birds, I believe."

There was a brief moment of silence between us.

Birds was one of the criminals who'd broken out of Vendicare with Mukuro, the harmless-looking old man who raised birds and used them to spy on others, the one who held the loyalty of the Twins. His true name was relatively unknown since he went by his alias for the most part, but he'd been careless in one of his later dealings with a member of the Calcassa Famiglia –who immediately put out a request for his head upon discovering his escape from Vendicare.

Experience had taught me that I needed a _viable_ reason to be in Namimori. If I wasn't a resident of Namimori, choosing instead chose to hone my combat skills in Italy, convincing Reborn that I harbored no ill intentions towards Tsuna and his Guardians was _hard_.

Hard, but not impossible.

I wonder if Reborn believed in coincidences.

* * *

"_Hey, Mukuro?"_

"_Hm?"_

"_About what you told Tsuna back when we first met… you said that your body has been through all six paths to Hades in your previous lives, and that's how you gained your abilities…"_

"_Fufu. That's correct. How like you to remember such a thing, Tsubaki."_

"_Do you… do you remember anything from your previous lives?"_

…

"… _What makes you ask such a question?"_

…

"_No reason."_

* * *

Kokuyo Land.

Or rather, what remained of it –what used to be an entertainment resort, filled with relaxed vacationers tanning themselves under the sun and excited children running everywhere underfoot. The overgrown shrubbery spilling onto the beaten paths lent an eerie, desolate feel to the entire place, and rubbles of buildings which once stood tall and proud were now imprinted with moss.

I still remembered times when this place had still been Kokuyo Land rather than No-Man's Land.

"_Hi there! I'm Tsubaki. What's your name?"_

_Wide brown eyes, startled at being addressed directly by someone else in a cheerful manner. Hunched shoulders, almost as if he wanted to disappear into the ground at seeing another child his age._

"_S-Sawada Tsunayoshi."_

"_Tsuna? That's a nice name." Bright smile directed towards the nervous little boy. Holding out a hand, an unspoken invitation of friendship. "Would you like to look at the garden zoo with me?"_

_A moment of hesitation on his part –there was a sharp stab of pain from the wariness and fear in his eyes– before he timidly reached back, fingers lightly brushing against the palm of my hand._

"_Okay."_

_Soft, hesitant smile, hope blooming in his eyes-_

"_We're going to be best, best friends, Tsuna." Ignoring the startled shout, lunging forward and pulling him into a tight hug, movements tinged with desperation-_

"_I'll always be here for you."_

A soft sigh escaped my lips, and I stepped out from the shadows.

Lingering in the background for a moment or two was good and all, the trademark reaction of a cautious assassin that was invited into a close-knit group for a mission, but hide too long and Reborn would start thinking that I was trying to analyze their formation for weaknesses to take advantage of.

(Never underestimate the paranoia of a trigger-happy hitman.)

"You! What are you doing here?!"

Something in me flinched at the wariness in Hayato's voice, just as it always did at moments like these, but I managed to shrug it off easily enough –a skill born from necessity and repetition. Lots and lots of repetition.

"Nice to see you too, Smokin' Bomb." The silver-haired explosives expert twitched at the drawl I'd inserted into my voice as I brushed past him. I didn't meet his eyes, letting my gaze slide off of him to look at the rest of the group. Would Reborn interpret it as arrogance on my part? "I see that your manners are as polite as ever."

Discreetly, I let my eyes linger a little longer on Tsuna, who had an Oh-my-god-why-is-this-happening-to-me look plastered to his face.

I decided to take pity on him. As expected, Reborn hadn't informed them of my sudden inclusion in their "counterattack" on the Kokuyo Gang. Tsuna was already having enough trouble coming to terms with the mafia, let alone having an assassin standing next to him. Unlike Hayato and Takeshi, I wasn't considered a _friend_ to him at this point in time –a bitter coil of pain in my chest, and I let it pass– and even though Reborn wasn't necessarily a _friend_ yet, he was his tutor and someone who could be trusted.

It probably didn't help that Hayato acted like I was an enemy.

"It turns out that my target is actually collaborating with yours." Since Reborn evidently hadn't provided an explanation for them and I held no desire remain the object of their collective attention, it fell onto my shoulders to run through the situation to them. "I'm only after Birds. Whatever you do with Rokudo –that's your business. Not mine."

Then, an afterthought. "Unless Sawada decides to cash in on that favor I promised."

No assassin liked owing favors –too many loose ends, too many liabilities. It wasn't likely that Tsuna would actually call on me for my favor, though; not if Reborn had a say in things. Which, in another sense, was exactly what I wanted.

Owing a favor to Tsuna would provide me a sound excuse to stick around Namimori longer without raising any more undue suspicions.

"Tch, let's go."

How many times had I walked these winding paths? Kokuyo Land was a place I hated almost as much as I did Namimori, but it was also a place that I'd never be able to regard with more than bitter nostalgia…

_This is where we first met Mukuro._

_This is where we established one of our earlier bases._

_This is where our illusions shattered and blood spilled forth._

"-watch out! There's something behind us! Juudaime, MOVE!"

Right.

Ken had been rather vicious in the beginning, during the times when we were still enemies with Mukuro.

Stepping to the side and dodging, I watched as the group freaked out as we were hit by the carcasses of dogs. Fresh bodies dripping with bloods –an amateur intimidation tactic, mainly meant to unnerve the opponent. The classic method was using human corpses –preferably the corpses of co-workers or friends of the target– and setting them up in the area where you wanted to lure your target towards.

Goodness knows how many times I'd fallen for it in the beginning.

I slipped out from the brief refuge I'd taken behind a tree trunk after Hayato's warning, just in time to see Takeshi fall into the ground and Ken dart in after him, Tsuna's startled shouts ringing in the empty air –louder than Takeshi's own, even.

"Takeshi? Takeshi, are you alright?!"

Joining the circle they'd formed around the hole on the ground, I belatedly recognized remains of one of the smaller dome-shaped exhibits in the garden zoo that I remembered visiting several lifetimes ago. A landslide seemed to have buried the entire structure, but it was still recognizable –barely, but still recognizable.

Leaning over Bianchi's shoulder to peer into the pit with them, I let out a long whistle.

"That's a pretty long way down." Voice amused, but still hinting at disinterest. "Is he still alive?"

Hayato immediately rounded on me, scowling. "The baseball idiot is dumb, but he won't die so easily!"

I raised my hands in a half-surrender at his vehemence, shrugging my shoulders. Was it because I was an assassin this time that Hayato was behaving so antagonistically? Being a bounty hunter hadn't drawn as much enmity as this. "Okay, okay, whatever you say-"

"Watch out, there's something to your right!"

Tsuna's warning snapped our attentions back onto Takeshi, who got into a half-crouched position as he peered into the darkness.

"Kakipii's asleep, y'know…" Tsuna let out a small 'eep' when something in the shadows _moved_, and Hayato narrowed his eyes. "I don't have any orders right now, so I'm really bored 'cuz I've got nothing to do. And then, here comes my prey, right into my territory. That makes me…"

Bloodthirsty grin, bared fangs.

Ken.

"… _Really, really happy!"_

Bolting forward, clipping Takeshi on the shoulder. Takeshi, who still wasn't taking things seriously yet.

"Hey, you're really good at this game." The oblivious teen grinned cheerily, "Those zombie dog puppets earlier looked super real, too! What did you use to make them?"

Only you, Takeshi. Only you.

"_Hey, you're pretty good at this mafia game!"_

_And something. Just. Snapped._

"_Stop treating this as a _game, _Takeshi! The mafia is real! Ken won't really be aiming to kill you, but you can't keep going on with this kind of attitude! You can't-"_

_Breath catching in throat, eyes widening._

_Ken's eyes glinted as blood dripped from his fangs, from where he'd ripped out Takeshi's throat._

"_Which one of you is next?"_

_(This isn't the Ken you know, the one you went on supply runs with whenever you needed to sneak into town. This isn't the Ken you know, who wouldn't hesitate to take a bullet for any of us without a second thought. _This isn't the Ken you know. _This is a Ken who remembers years of torment under the Estraneo Famiglia; a Ken whose only devotion is to a Mukuro who wants to possess Tsuna; a Ken who wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone standing in Mukuro's way.)_

_Distractions in a battle can be fatal._

"-told you already, didn't I? It's true I've got a baseball tournament waiting for me in autumn, but I'm not going to choose baseball over my friends, Tsuna."

Ah. I really had to stop getting distracted like this.

I watched as Takeshi laughed, waving off Tsuna's concerns about the injury on his forearm. Ken was lying on the ground, still and unmoving; feigning unconsciousness for the moment. It seemed like Takesh had sacrificed his arm to lure Ken to him, all for the sake of protecting Tsuna-

_Never change, Takeshi._

"That's one down," Reborn whipped out a photo from nowhere, holding it up for us to see. "These are the principle members of the group we're facing. The one we just defeated is Joushima Ken, on the far right. Rokudo Mukuro is the one in the middle."

A lie.

But I bit my tongue and kept my silence.

"This'll be easy!" Hayato grinned confidently, "Glasses-freak is still down, and we just took down the animal-freak, too. Bringing down Rokudo will be a piece of cake!"

And Ken _laughed,_ abandoning all pretense of playing dead_. _A wild, scornful laugh; clearly audible even though he was still sitting at the bottom of the pit.

"You know nothing, fools!" I could _hear_ that sneer in his voice. "Mukuro will slaughter you all before you even reach him! _You won't even be able to see his face!"_

Tsuna was visibly affected by hearing Ken's scathing rant, but Bianchi only looked bored –before dropping one of the larger pieces of rubble directly into the pit. I resisted the urge to twitch. Ken would survive –he was of the sturdy sort; but even so, getting a boulder dropped on you from a height like that had _ought_ to hurt.

"It would be good not to take Rokudo lightly," Reborn continued, completely unperturbed. "He is responsible for landing both police and mafia alike in dangerous situations, and he had no qualms about killing people when he escaped on the eve of his execution."

"_Hiiie!"_

'Hiiie,' indeed.

… When was it that I'd lost any qualms I had for killing?

_Not like it matters, really._

I trailed a little behind the group as we walked on, eyeing the invisible barrier between us. I remembered times when I used to bicker with Hayato at Tsuna's side, when I tried to learn Poison Cooking from Bianchi, when I was even a baseball nut that one time at Namimori Middle…

_Focus. Reborn is looking in your direction._

I checked that my face was still a mask of indifference as I followed them down the deserted paths. Talented as I was at lying, Reborn always had that uncanny sense to know when someone was putting up a façade in front of him-

_Something's wrong._

There was a strange heat radiating from the tree I'd just passed –something that shouldn't be possible-

-unless it was MM.

But why target _me?_ Usually it was Bianchi –occasionally Hayato, but-

No time to think.

I was barely aware of Tsuna's shriek when I _jumped_, using the side of a mossy boulder as a springboard to propel myself _away_ from the burning wooden splinters, eyes instinctively flickering over our surroundings and analyzing the terrain.

MM usually targeted us from a hidden position in a building when we stopped for lunch. Her assault was a little early this time –something to take note of, but not too surprising. Everything always varied from time to time, after all-

Ah.

There she was.

"Che, I can't believe Ken and Chikusa lost to _you_ guys –honestly, I don't get why Mukuro still puts up with-"

_Found you._

The short-haired girl collapsed to the ground in a crumpled heap, and I lowered my fist. She'd be out of it for awhile, probably have a killer headache when she awoke. That girl's head was surprisingly hard.

Ken, MM.

That's two down. Next should be-

"My, my, I didn't expect her to be so useless."

I glanced up towards the gravelly voice.

-Birds.

"I suggest you give up now." The diminutive frame of an old man, so deceptively harmless. So completely at odds with the slow, slow smile spreading over his lips. "If you don't want your precious little friends getting hurt, that is."

Wrinkled hands held up a laptop whose screen showed real-time video feeds of two schoolgirls, both of whom were still blissfully ignorant of the imminent danger about to befall them.

"Kyoko! Haru!"

_Kyoko, eyes still widened in shock and mouth open in a small 'o' of surprise. A small pool of blood was forming under the silken locks of her hair –a bullet to the head; an instantaneous kill._

_Haru, who hadn't been as lucky. Someone had detonated a bomb in the base she'd re-located to –we were never able to recover her body._

"If you don't want any of them getting hurt-" A menacing leer crept across the old man's face, "Then follow my orders and do _exactly _as I say."

… Well.

Stepping forward, hand drifting to the hilt of the sword at my side-

"Wait!" Tsuna's panicked voice stopped me in my tracks, "D-Don't attack him! He'll hurt Kyoko and Haru!"

"He's my target," I said blandly, acting the part of the assassin that I was. "Do not stop me. Or are you telling me that you're backing out on our deal, Decimo?"

Something in him faltered for a moment –fear at standing up to a professional assassin, perhaps?– before I saw his eyes change; a flicker of flames flashing through like quicksilver as his resolve hardened-

This was a glimpse of the Tsuna who would gladly give his life to save his Family in the future.

My hand fell limply to my side again.

* * *

_Reborn had first heard whispers of a new assassin surfacing in the ranks of the elites two years ago._

_He'd kept an ear to the rumors like he always did –rumors had a tendency to become flamboyant and exaggerated, but he was good at picking out the truth in them. Besides, keeping an eye on promising talents was never a bad thing; maybe he could reel in the assassin as a bodyguard for Dino?_

_They said she was young, that she had potential to grow. They said she was cautious –the only surefire way to find her was through the Assassins' Guild. It was nigh-impossible to track her down, and those who were sent after her were never seen again._

_They also said that she refused any and all offers to join a Famiglia or align herself with any faction._

_She was a Stray. Always on the move, never resting, one hit targeted after another. Some said she was suicidal –she'd probably lost her original Famiglia and now threw herself into killing with single-minded intensity._

_Reborn had no use for suicidal cases._

_Then his contacts had told him of another rising talent –the Smokin' Bomb, Gokudera Hayato. An explosives expert who'd undergone a brief period of training under Trident Shamal, and currently held no affiliations. Or rather, was _rejected _–for being a bastard child._

_So he'd focused his attentions on digging into Gokudera's background, before he'd received his next assignment._

_Make Sawada Tsunayoshi into the Vongola Decimo._

_Gokudera would be a nice addition to Dame-Tsuna's Famiglia. A young teen who knew of emptiness and loneliness, who wished for acceptance, a place to belong and a purpose to fight for –he would make a good right-hand man. Someone who, while not _experienced _per se, held a thorough understanding of the darker aspects of the mafia world that he'd grown up in. A sharp contrast to Yamamoto Takeshi and Sasagawa Ryohei and even Tsuna himself, who were, for all intents and purposes, ignorant civilians._

_And then the Stray wandered into Namimori._

_Truth be told, Reborn hadn't pieced together the sight of the diminutive little girl with the rumors of the ruthless assassin directly ("A-ah, Reborn? What is Number One doing in a place like this?"). Her stance, the way she held herself –it was obvious that she was an assassin with a single glance, and he'd seen a glimpse of her skill from her fluid movements in that brief bout with Hibari._

_There was no doubt in his mind that she was dangerous; the only reason he didn't shoot her on sight was because of her eyes. At first, he didn't understand it –why had his fingers refused to pull the trigger on his gun?– before he finally realized it._

_Her eyes were old._

_Far, far older than they should be on a child her age._

_Like _them_._

_(Arcobaleno.)_

_After the young hitman –hitwoman, really– had explained to him that she was only in Namimori for a job and not to sabotage Vongola affairs, he'd nodded cordially on the surface and set his underground contacts to work immediately. Because, world-weary eyes or not, it was unacceptable that a potential threat to Tsuna's safety had entered Namimori so easily without his knowing-_

"'_Teenager, black eyes, black hair'. You're not really giving me much to work off of here, Reborn."_

"_She's an oriental."_

"_There's gotta be hundreds of 'em that're assassins! Gimme something more specific. My intel network is damn good, but even I can't track someone with that vague-ass description of yours-"_

"_She uses a tsurugi."_

"_Oh, sure, like that's any better for me to work off of with my- wait a second. Tsurugi? Not a katana?"_

"… _Are you questioning me?"_

"_Don't sound so scary, Reborn! I'll have to check with a couple of my agents on this, but… I think that sounds like the Stray. To my knowledge, she's the only one that's young and favors a tsurugi for assassination techniques."_

_He'd kept a close eye on the girl when he brought her into the Sawada household that afternoon. She hadn't shown any reactions that set off those alarm bells in his head, but it was precisely _because_ her actions were so passive and unthreatening that he was suspicious. _Any _assassin would be twitchy and on guard in his presence, showing signs of growing unease, but she was completely placid and calm._

_All assassins were required to have formidable control over their bodies –but the level of control that this girl had over her reactions was-_

_Frightening._

_It wasn't until she was at the doorstep and about to leave that he finally caught a crack in her mask._

_A single moment when her eyes softened as she'd looked at Tsuna, flanked by his friends –a shadow of hurt and pain flickering, and something _burning-

_-And then it was gone, as quickly as it'd come. But Reborn knew better than to dismiss it as a simple trick of the light._

_Tsubaki, was it?_

_He'd watch her._

_If her background checks turned up clean (or as clean as they could get in the mafia world) and she proved to be trustworthy –there was no doubt that her abilities would make her a fine ally to the future Vongola Decimo. Reborn was nothing if not tenacious, and Tsuna, Dame as he was at the moment, certainly had the potential to become a brilliant Sky. He had no doubts that Tsuna would be able to convince her to join his Family when push came to shove (and god knows how many shoves Dame-Tsuna needed to get things done)._

_If it turned out that there was reason behind his suspicions, however-_

_Well._

… _It'd certainly be a shame for the mafia to lose such a promising talent, but he'd never allow a weapon like her the chance to be pointed towards Vongola._

* * *

.

…

.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Hi all.

So. We're headed straight into the Kokuyo Arc, and a short (okay, so maybe not-so-short) snippet of things from Reborn's perspective has been added at the end (by request of Charisasori). Next up will be the battle against Mukuro. Any thoughts on what will happen?

Also, "Polaris" has finally been updated. It's the only other KHR fanfic I've written and features an OC who is Squalo's older sister; feel free to check it out if you'd like. It's not written in the format of a legit story like this one is, more drabble-like with the story being told from multiple POVs.

… Anyways, yay for updating fast! This has got to be the fastest time I've ever updated a story –credits to XxZuiyun for typing that last part with Reborn's POV. There might be a little lag before the next chapter comes out, but hopefully we'll be able to finish it as soon as possible.

A big thanks to everyone who reviewed/favorite/alerted to show their support of the story! Your advice on how to improve/fix our writing and your thoughts on the chapter in general are very much appreciated. Please don't forget to tell us what you think of this chapter!

**QUESTION: **Would you rather see more snippets from OCTsubaki's previous loops, or small segments of other characters' POVs?

Till next time,

XxZuiliu


	3. 01: 3

My eyes narrowed at the sheer arrogance and complacency of the old man –the way he was able to say those words so cordially gave rise to the all-too-familiar burn in my chest, an urge to make him _hurt-_

_Tsuna told you to stand down._

But this Tsuna didn't _know_ me, didn't know what I was capable of-

_Every timeline is different. What if Kyoko and Haru die here because of your recklessness?_

I didn't bother to hide the grimace on my face –let Reborn think of it what he will. Would he read it as unwillingness on my behalf to listen to Tsuna? Frustration at seeing my target right in front of me, and being denied the opportunity to attack him?

"That's crazy! There's no way we'll-"

"Well, it's okay with me even if you refuse," The cordial smile on the old man's face suddenly morphed into something much more sinister. "I have a hobby, y'see… I like seeing people get frightened. I love that look on their faces when they realize that they're helpless. I love seeing the reaction of innocent people in the instant they discover they're in danger and there's _no escape._ For example… what would happen if those lovely little girls found that their hair suddenly caught on fire? I wonder what wonderful faces they'll display."

"You sick freak!"

Frustration. Anger. I could see it splayed across their faces, clear as day.

And I was just as helpless as they were to stop him.

_It's easy enough to kill Birds. A simple step, a simple swing, and his head will roll... But what if he left instructions for the Twins to kill Kyoko and Haru on his death? What then?_

A_ real _assassin wouldn't hesitate to achieve their objective-

_What's more important? Keeping up this act, or protecting your friends?_

My lips thinned.

There was a fierce scowl on Takeshi's face, one that mirrored Hayato's own. "Like hell we're going to just listen to-"

"No! I-I'll do it! Hayato, Takeshi, p-please beat me up!" It was evident that Tsuna wanted to slap himself for letting the words escape his mouth, but it was just as obvious that he'd truly rather undergo a beating rather than let any harm befall Kyoko and Haru.

Both teens whirled on him immediately, eyes wide.

"Juudaime!"

"Ah, you're really going through with it? And here I was, getting excited to hear their delightful screams…" Birds shook his head in mock-sadness, before a gleam crept into his eyes. "Five seconds, then. If I don't see blood in five seconds, we can watch the Twins light the girls on fire."

"That's crazy." Takeshi hissed, involuntarily taking a step back.

Hayato fared no better in terms of reactions, "There's no way I can do something like that!"

_That's right. Both of you are completely loyal to Tsuna –both of you are here to _protect_ him, after all. Why do anything as counterproductive as attacking him?_

… _Though, not everyone holds the same qualms as you._

Bianchi's punch sent Tsuna _flying._

"SIS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

The hitwoman flipped a lock of silver hair over her shoulder, "From the very beginning, I came to Namimori to kill Tsuna, right? Lucky for me, I've been given that chance right now. Why not take advantage of it?"

_Your actions don't match you words, Bianchi. True, you struck him just as Birds wanted you to –but it was only a superficial glance, only drawing a small trail of blood. You didn't use any real strength behind that blow._

_You don't want to hurt Tsuna, either._

"Oho, looks like you've cleared the first job!" Slow, mocking claps from gnarled hands. I made an effort to keep my features blank. "How 'bout this? If you can complete the next task I have for you, then I'll let the girls go free. What do you say?"

Imperceptibly, my eyes narrowed.

"As for my second request," A cold glint of steel, and Hayato _blanched. _Takeshi wasn't any better off, and neither was Tsuna once the two realized what Birds held a heartbeat after Hayato had recognized the object. "Please take this knife and stab the Decimo with it. All. The way. _To the hilt_."

Silence.

"THAT'S GOING TOO FAR!" Hayato roared, eyes brimming with unrestrained fury.

The old man completely ignored him, focusing instead on Tsuna.

"So, will you do it? If not…" I watched as he carelessly gestured to the screen, where the Twins each brought out a bottle of-

"Sulfuric acid?!"Tsuna screeched in visible panic as the grotesque criminals began uncapping the cylindrical containers, "W-What are you going to do with that?"

_Wrong question. _How _did he do that? _I eyed Birds contemplatively. _I've always assumed that he was able to do something with his birds to give them orders, but… just how is he communicating with the twins? Their reactions to his orders are instantaneous. Even with birds to relay his commands, there should be some sort of delay, right?_

"What else can you do with sulfuric acid?" Birds shot back at Tsuna, leering at him, "I must admit, I highly anticipate hearing their pretty little screams when they have it poured all over their perfect little bodies. Won't you watch the show with me?"

I discreetly peered at the screen again. It was high-definition, so as to allow Tsuna to have a clear image of the girls and their predicament, but at the same time…

_On their ears. It's faint, but… those earpieces. Are they wireless radio devices? If that's the case, then…_

I thoughtfully eyed the yellow bird flitting about his shoulders. Most of his birds were equipped with a camera or a recorder of some sort, but this one-

_It looks almost like a microphone._

"I-I'll do it!" Tsuna's voice split through my thoughts, and I glanced sharply towards him. "Stab me! With the knife or whatever, just stab me! Kyoko and Haru have nothing to do with this, I-I can't let them get hurt!"

If my suspicions were right-

_Go for it._

"'With the knife or whatever,' eh?" I worked my lips into an easygoing smile as I cocked my head at Tsuna. "How very brave of you, Decimo. Does that mean I'm allowed to stab you with my sword, too?"

Even though it was only an act, a ploy, part of my _plan, _it didn't stop that slight twinge of pain when I saw that horrified expression turn towards me–nor did it help when Hayato abruptly rounded on me, blazing with anger_. _"I knew it! You're here to kill Juudaime after all, aren't you, _assassin-_"

"Of course it's fine," The old man's eyes crinkled in satisfaction as his attention turned towards me. Nonchalant as I was acting, I felt a light coat of sweat on my palms –if I was wrong, if Reborn decided to interfere despite orders from Nono to remain on the sidelines-

"That's good to hear," I responded lightly, turning to face Tsuna and reaching for my sword.

_Got you._

In the same split second that I _dashed _in the exact opposite direction of Tsuna, my left hand snaked out and crushed the yellow bird fluttering next to Birds in a vice-like grip. His reaction speed was slow, much too slow to stop me. By the time his mind had caught up with his eyes and his mouth opened to scream, my tsurugi was already biting into his body.

_Don't kill him._

_Not yet._

_Don't kill in front of Tsuna and the others. They're still innocent. They haven't seen bloodshed. Don't put another reason for distance between yourselves._

_Don't kill._

"H-How DARE YOU?"

There was a shell-shocked look on Tsuna's face –halfway torn between heartfelt relief that I didn't stab him and… well, complete shock that I didn't stab him, opting to go after Birds instead. The old man was _writhing_ on the ground, howling in pain and fury from having his tendons in both wrists and ankles severed effortlessly.

It was far from the slow, brutal death he deserved and would be receiving at a later date, but he wouldn't be getting up again anytime soon.

"Get the girls! Pour the acid, LET THEM BURN!" There was spittle flying from his mouth as the aging criminal screamed like the deranged madman that he was.

I let out a small exhale, opening my hand, watching the shivering little bird crouched in the center of my palm. Broken pieces of machinery now hung uselessly around its neck, the remains of what used to be a miniature microphone that transmitted each and every one of Birds' words to the Twins. There was no mistaking the low-quality product. It probably had a lot of static noise mixed in already, and now that it was destroyed –well, the lack of sound could easily be interpreted as weak signals, and I'd be surprised if occasional bouts of silence weren't the norm for a low-grade merchandise like this. It's not like there were strong signals in run-down ruins like Kokuyo Land in the first place, anyways.

I absentmindedly stroked the fluffy yellow bird sitting in my hand. Poor thing, I hadn't meant to hurt its wings when I'd grabbed it.

My attention turned towards the laptop screen again, where the Twins were still and unmoving. Awaiting further instructions –instructions that would never come.

_They'll be safe. The Twins won't attack without Birds saying so, and they'll be reaching more public areas soon –or Shamal and the kids will turn up again, in which case they'll still be safe._

I chanced a look at the others around me. There was a look of relief on Tsuna's face as he observed that Kyoko and Haru were –miraculously– completely unharmed, even though the same couldn't be said for Birds. Hayato was still tense, though he was visibly confused, eyes darting from Birds (who was still screaming on the ground) to the girls (who were still unharmed).

"_WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR, YOU FOOLS?"_

_Shut up._ The sheathed point of my tsurugi jabbed into Birds' disabled wrist, and the man let out another screech of pain.

"Your voice is grating on my ears." A note of annoyance crept into my voice, an emotion that wasn't entirely false at the moment. The old man's mouth immediately snapped shut, face rapidly paling several shades of white when my sword moved towards his neck. "Honestly, would it kill you to be a little quieter? It's not like the Twins can hear you anymore…"

"Why not kill him?"

Right.

Reborn was still watching.

_Because I didn't want to kill in front of them, not when their hands are still unstained by blood, not when they're still so young, not when it's not _necessary_ to kill each and every enemy._

_Yet._

"These clothes are new," I shrugged. "I don't want to get blood on them so soon."

Silence.

"… Kidding, kidding." Reborn didn't look the slightest bit convinced by the flimsy excuse, not that I expected him to be. I wasn't familiar enough with them yet that he would let this slip and allow me to keep my secrets. A breezy grin settled over my lips as I made a show of returning my tsurugi to my hip. "Client wants a taped recording of the kill. Confession, torture, the works."

Off to the side, Tsuna made a strangled noise in his throat.

Reborn, on the other hand, simply nodded in understanding. Sometimes, the clients commissioning assassinations wanted unconventional murders –taping the way a target was slowly tormented to death was but one of the many different types of kills offered in an assassin's repertoire.

Briefly, my eyes flickered over the boys again –Hayato was still on edge and eyeing me with suspicion, Takeshi looked equal parts impressed and unnerved by my brutal efficiency, and Tsuna-

_A hint of fear. What else did you expect, really, talking so callously about killing?_

"Are you leaving, then?"

I blinked in surprise at Reborn, not entirely having expected that question.

"That-" _Don't waver, don't let him know that his question took you off guard. He's only testing you, trying to push your buttons and find out what you'll react to. Don't let him know. _"-that depends, I suppose. Will the Decimo be calling in on his favor to keep me here?"

Reborn… always so astute. He'd probably picked up something when I attacked Birds –not going in directly for the kill, but doing so in a way that protected Kyoko and Haru. Tsuna's friends. It was completely unlike what any other assassin would do; any other assassin would simply hurry up and get the job over with. As far as Reborn was concerned, the wellbeing of Kyoko and Haru were none of my concern. Why go out of my way to ensure their safety?

… The consequences of this were regrettable, but I couldn't –_wouldn't_– risk them getting hurt.

(Again.)

"Someone else is here."

There was an unusually serious expression on Bianchi's face, one that had everyone tensing again. Her gaze was focused on a patch of trees to the left, and her voice was hard when she spoke again, "Quit hiding and show yourself! If you won't come out, then we'll come over, got it?"

_But it's not another enemy this time. It's Fuuta._

I watched silently as the young boy emerged from the bushes, listening-but-not-listening to the startled exclamations that sounded from the group.

_Fuuta had always been such a sweet little boy._

Tsuna gave chase as Fuuta turned and ran after warning us to turn back, to stay away from Mukuro –as if we could ever do something like that– and an iron ball crashed to the ground right in front of Hayato and Takeshi, preventing them from following after him.

There was no dilly-dallying this time, where Lancia took time to show the difference in strength he had from Takeshi and Hayato. The air currents from the engraved dragons on the iron ball was enough to yank the boys off their feet, slamming their bodies against his weapon and letting them drop to the ground. Takeshi wasn't fully recovered from his bout with Ken yet, and Gokudera was still suffering from aftereffects of a poison.

Bianchi had whipped out her Poison Cooking and was already slinging platefuls of it towards Lancia, but her specialty was in close range combat –if she wasn't able to get close enough to her target to use her Poison Cooking, then it was useless. She was no slouch in fighting, to be sure, but Lancia was equally skilled as she was. The heavy iron ball kept her at bay as she repeatedly tried to close in on him from various angles. It'd probably take awhile before she'd be able to read his movements, but Lancia had suffered through Vendicare –Bianchi would be able to wrestle a victory in this match.

"I take it that you're staying, then?"

Right. Reborn. Don't get too caught up in watching the battle.

"His weapon is interesting," I remarked lightly, folding my arms across my chest. "But to answer your question… no, I'm not planning on staying any longer than I already have. I've finished what I came here for, haven't I? There's no reason for me to keep sticking around. Besides…"

A self-depreciating smile curled at the edge of my lips, but I managed to suppress the motion before it was visible, "… Your kids don't seem to be comfortable with my presence here."

"Interesting that you would refer to Bianchi as a child," There was a hint of something sharp in Reborn's eyes before it quickly smoothed and his face became blank again.

Did he do it on purpose? What was he trying to let me infer from that expression?

… Well, that didn't matter at the moment.

"I'm afraid you've misunderstood me," I jabbed down at Birds with the sheathed point of my tsurugi, watching as the old man spasm and go limp from being hit on a paralytic point. "I'd never try to demean the Poison Scorpion like that."

"Funny. Does that mean you're purposely demeaning the future Vongola Decimo and his subordinates?" His childish voice was tinged with something darker, even though his tone remained the same. The words were both challenging and provocative –a sharp rebuke that no hitman with any sense of pride would let slip-

But I'd realized a long time ago that pride was useless.

"Now why would I do that, either?" I slipped in a note of nonchalance as I spoke, "I have no grievances with the Vongola, and I intend to keep it that way. I don't see any benefits from making an enemy out of the strongest Famiglia in Italy."

"Is that so?"

I shrugged noncommittally, bending down and grabbing Birds by the collar of his neck, ignoring the very unmanly yelp that came from his throat. No sense in getting caught up in an argument with him –what if I let something slip and made him think I was a hostile threat? Better to leave now before I was in too deep. Bianchi hadn't sustained many injuries since I took care of MM earlier, and she'd be able to win against Lancia on her own. Tsuna would be coming back soon, anyways, so I wasn't too worried on that front. And, worst come to worst, there was always Reborn watching over them.

They truly were children.

"Take it or leave it, Reborn. I speak the truth –whether you choose believe me or not is entirely up to your own judgment."

I turned and walked away, feeling a pair of icy eyes on my back until I disappeared from sight.

"W-W-What are you going to do? I-I'm warning you, even though we've failed to get r-rid of you, M-Mukuro still has a plan! E-even if you get past all of us he won't-"

"Hm?" I smiled at the shivering wreck of an old man, long and slow. "Oh, you mean that the man Bianchi is fighting right now _isn't_ Mukuro?"

Birds' jaw snapped shut with an audible clack, and I resisted the urge to snort at his panicked expression. He was deathly scared of Mukuro –revealing that Lancia was impersonating Mukuro when Mukuro was using him as a cover sounded like the sort of thing the Mukuro at this point would punish his little underlings for.

"Well, that's none of my business." The old man practically _sagged _with relief. Idiot. He had far more pressing concerns at the moment. "I'm only here for _you_."

I felt my smile widen just a touch when his body locked up again.

"Threatening little kids isn't very nice, Birds." I crouched down in front of him so we were face to face, relishing in the unease and fear that flashed across his eyes. "And seeing other people be hurt for your own enjoyment? My, my, aren't you the poster criminal."

My tone was soft and casual, and it was immensely gratifying to see him _twitch_ as I reached out a hand and ran a single finger down the side of his face, before leaning in as he shivered involuntarily.

"W-Wha-"

"Shhh," I whispered directly into his ear, watching with a sort of dark satisfaction in my chest as his pupils dilated in fear. "We're going to have a little conversation tonight about you and your bad habits, you and I. About why you shouldn't go around threatening people all the time –particularly when you're going about threatening _people that you shouldn't be threatening._"

I paused as I sat back on my haunches, and smiled pleasantly at the old man whose face was drained of blood.

"I'm going to have a lot of fun taking care of you, Birds. I wonder how long you'll last before you stop screaming?"

* * *

_Chaos. Pain. Blood._

"_-ke up! Tsubaki, wake up!"_

_Fear. Panic. Hysteria._

"_WAKE UP!"_

_Eyes snapping open. Awareness. The madness bled away into reality –the slack faces of fresh corpses changing into concerned eyes, and a cup of lukewarm water being stuffed into numb fingers._

"_Drink. Did you have a nightmare again, Tsubaki?"_

"… _Yeah."_

"_What was it about?"_

"…"

"_Look, we know you're tough and all, but even Tsuna is starting to get worried about you now. Why won't you trust us? We can't help you if you won't let us help you, dammit!"_

"… _Sorry."_

_There was a frustrated sigh as he ran a hand through his hair._

"_You… do you have any idea how difficult you're being right now? I swear, even the stupid cow was never as troublesome as you."_

_A small laugh._

"_Now you're just being mean to me, Hayato."_

_Pause._

"… _You know that we'll always be here for you, yeah?"_

…

…

…

"… _Yeah. I know."_

_I know._

_I know it._

_I know it all too well, and I know that I don't deserve it._

_..._

_They'll never know._

_..._

* * *

_Tsuna hadn't ever really thought about it before, but there'd always been a sort of intuition inside of him that helped him understand his friends._

_When Hayato had first barged into his class, his first instinct had been to cower away from the dangerous-looking delinquent, and he'd completely panicked after getting knocked over by him –but later on when he was on the grassy field, standing in nothing but his boxers while his hands were smarting in pain, and Hayato suddenly pledged undying loyalty to him– he'd felt it._

_That overbearing sense of loneliness that the silver-haired boy carried within himself, that overwhelming need for acceptance, from anyone, from someone, from _him –_him, Dame-Tsuna._

_And Takeshi. When Takeshi had been down in the dumps and depressed enough to consider seeking suicide, he'd felt the same crushing despair that'd almost swallowed Takeshi whole. He'd reached out a hand to the popular baseball player without a second thought. And, in the single instant that Takeshi had began tipping over the edge of the school building, his body had been moving before his mind even registered what was happening before his eyes._

_Tsuna remembered meeting Ryohei, being punched in the face before Kyoko managed to clear up the misunderstanding –he remembered the brief flash in which he'd experienced that fierce protectiveness of a sibling's love. Then came the dogged insistence on joining the Boxing Club, a sport that sparked a burning passion and heated joy._

_And recently, when he'd been chasing after Fuuta and gotten lost in the forest –that strange Kokuyo student who'd approached him in clearing out of nowhere. He seemed fine on the surface, but something about him was… broken. Shattered and broken, and terribly jaded._

_Then he found his friends again, and discovered Bianchi struggling against a new opponent._

"_Go on! Defeat Mukuro with your dying will!"_

_Except it wasn't Mukuro who they defeated. It was Lancia, a man who'd been under Mukuro's control for years, forced to commit numerous atrocities in his name after first being possessed and killing his Family. Tsuna could see that there was undeniably compassion and mercy in Lancia towards the children that Mukuro bade him to kill, just as clear as the self-disgust and hopelessness that ached in his heart._

_It…_

_Well, it kind of reminded him of Tsubaki, actually._

_He didn't know the girl very well, hardly having exchanged a handful of words with her since the day she'd turned up in his living room out of the blue. His nervousness had resurfaced that day and he'd barely been able to keep from being an embarrassing, stumbling wreck –but he remembered sitting uncomfortably on folded legs and watching the blank-faced assassin's fingers trail his mother's teacup again and again and again._

_There'd been something about her aura that'd thrown him off for a moment. It was poignant and bitter and heavy, it was…_

…

_Sad._

_Yes, that was it._

_Sure, he was scared and uneasy around her, just like he'd been around Bianchi in the beginning –and to be honest, it was even worse than that especially since she'd demonstrated to them perfectly well how easily she could kill another human being. But there was a greater part of his empathy and compassion that reached out to her anyways, no matter how dangerous Hayato insisted she was to him._

_Call him weak and softhearted, but Tsuna firmly believed that no one deserved to be so incredibly sad._

* * *

_._

_..._

_._

* * *

**EDIT 5/06: **So, some people pointed out that we were using "naginata" and "sword" interchangeably at this point. We went and double-checked -turns out we had the wrong idea, so thank you very much to those who brought the error to our attention. We thought that "naginata" was the word for a double-edged sword, when it turns out that the correct term would be "tsurugi." A "naginata" is more like a polearm than a sword, really...

Thanks again for bringing this to our attention! Errors should be fixed now, but let us know if you still spot "naginata" wandering somewhere around the text. xD

-XxZuililu, XxZuiyun

* * *

Author's Notes:

Hi everyone.

So, Tsubaki isn't going with the gang to have a face-off with Mukuro –hope I haven't disappointed too many people with that. ;) The reasons being: 1) She doesn't see a need to be there. It's Tsuna/Hayato/Takeshi's fight against Mukuro to get stronger, she's only tagging along in the beginning to make sure her presence hasn't skewed things too badly and for Birds. 2) Reborn wants to keep an eye on her for awhile. It's infinitely easier for her to go along with him and know what he's seeing from her rather than be twitchy all the time and paranoid of her own shadow.

Next up is the Varia Arc. It's going to be a lot longer than the 3-chapter Mukuro Arc, trust me on that. The Future Arc will probably be the longest yet, but we'll talk about that when we get there.

Last segment is a tiny blurb featuring Tsuna's thoughts. Really playing up the empathy part of Hyper Intuition here, but hey, this is fanfiction, right?

Please feel free to leave comments on what you think about this chapter and/or any problems you see in the writing. We appreciate your help and support!

**QUESTION: **Last time, most people said they'd like to see small segments of other character's POVs. Which character(s) would you be most interested in and why?

Till next time,

XxZuiliu


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